1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to magnetically actuated visual display boards wherein magnetic attraction is used to form characters and then to erase said characters and particularly to a magnetically actuated visual display board comprising a large box containing a grid array of chambers, magnetic rods which slide inside the chambers, at least one display opening in each chamber, a band of paper surrounding each magnetic rod which is attached to the chamber floor on first end and attached to the magnetic rod on a second end, and at least two different color squares on the paper strip; when a wand-like magnetic writing stylus passes in front of the chamber containing a magnetic rod with the wrapped band of paper it pulls the magnetic rod forward to make one color square on the paper appear in the chamber opening to create an array of similar color squares to form alphanumeric characters, symbols, images, or any other desired visual array, and when the magnetic writing stylus passes in back of the chamber containing the wrapped magnetic rod or the magnetic writing stylus is turned around to reverse the polarity, the rod is pulled or pushed backward, respectively, to make a different color square on the paper appear in the front chamber opening to erase the array of similar color squares and make all the squares match the background color.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Magnetic drawing or writing boards are popular with young children. These toys consist of a screen in a housing containing a magnetic material such as iron powder or a fluid with suspended magnetic particles. A stylus having a magnetic tip is drawn across the screen causing the magnetic powder or particles to be drawn up against the underside of the screen to draw figures or practice writing. It is possible that a child can break the housing, the fluid or powder can leak from the toy.
Most writing boards, such as chalkboards or whiteboards, require expendable writing elements (chalk and markers, respectively) which must be replaced. Both present problems with the chalk dust and marker colors rubbing off on hands and clothing. Further the dust from the chalkboard becoming airborne is a breathing hazard and prevents usage of chalkboards in rooms with computers or other electronic equipment. Prior art devices have not adequately solved the problem of providing a writing surface which is highly visible and reusable without the need for replaceable writing implements and is relatively inexpensive and usable in any location without the need for electric power or expensive circuitry.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,103,751, issued Sep. 17, 1963 to McDonald, claims a chalkless, magnetic type writing board. The writing board consists of a substantially rigid opaque sheet of material spaced from a backing sheet to define therebetween a chamber. The chamber confines a plurality of metallic pins slidably mounted in apertures located in the backing sheet. The pins are of a color contrasting the opaque sheet. Markings appear on the opaque sheet by drawing a magnetic stylus over the outer surface of the sheet, thereby attracting the pins to the interior surface of the sheet. Erasure is accomplished by passing a mechanical vibrator over the opaque sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,294, issued Jul. 25, 2000 to Mak, describes a drawing board that has a body and a generally transparent screen on the body. The screen has front and rear sides and contains a viscous opaque liquid and iron dust in the liquid. A pen that has a magnetic tip is used to draw on the screen. A magnetic eraser is movable within the body between a rest position away from the rear side of the screen and an operating position against that rear side for operation to move, through magnetic attraction, the iron dust away from the front side of the screen such that the iron dust becomes invisible on the screen. A spring biases the eraser towards the rest position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,426,453, issued Feb. 11, 1969 to Dingwall, describes a magnetic display device that has a multiplicity of magnetic cylinders. The magnetic cylinders have contrastingly colored end faces, disposed one each in cylindrical pockets formed in a laminar display board. The display board has a transparent cover and magnetized laminations, both of which rotate to selectively expose a contrasting surface to view when a magnetized writing stylus is moved over the display surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,518,664, issued Jun. 30, 1970 to Taylor, shows magnetically actuable pivotally mounted visual elements that have two alternative positions that are controlled in accord with the directions of two resultant exterior magnetic fields, which are alternatively applicable. Each resultant field results from the resolution of one sense of a reversible magnetic field and of a non-reversing bias field.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,110, issued Apr. 3, 1973 to Meyerson, shows a visual display device with a multi-apertured front side. The apertures are the forward ends of a plurality of passages in the visual display board in which a plurality of respective movable members cause a character to be displayed responsive to the positions of the movable members.
US Patent Application #20050079479, published Apr. 14, 2005 by Chen, indicates a container assembly including a container body, a magnetic display panel on the container body, a magnetic pen, and a magnetic eraser. The magnetic display panel is mounted on an outer wall surface of the container body, and has a rear side confronting the container body and an opposite front side. The magnetic display panel has a multi-cellular configuration, and includes a cell array and a dispersion contained in the cell array. The dispersion contains magnetic particles. The magnetic pen is used to move the magnetic particles in the cell array to the front side of the magnetic display panel so as to form an image thereat. The magnetic eraser is used to move the magnetic particles in the cell array to the rear side of the magnetic display panel so as to erase the image formed by the magnetic particles at the front side of the magnetic display panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,326,945, issued Dec. 4, 2001 to Williams, III, depicts a magnetic writing board that provides a thin, lightweight, durable writing board, which has an internal array of closely arranged magnet assemblies. The magnetic writing board is operated to contemporaneously create a display, which may be transferred to a computer for the modification thereof. The image may then be redisplayed, printed, stored, and/or remotely displayed such as at a computer monitor. A portion or all of an image may be completely and immediately erased. The magnetic writing board includes a grid disposed behind a display surface and a plurality of display elements, one each disposed within each cell defined by the grid. Each grid cell receives a masking agent to obscure the contrasting color of at least the forward edge of the display element when the display element is in the back position. The magnet assemblies are each oriented with their magnetic poles in the same direction, with the positive and negative poles being oriented to face either the front or back of the magnetic writing board. A writing and erasing implement includes a pair of oppositely disposed magnets, one being disposed at each end. The writing end of the implement has a magnetic pole opposite to the forward facing pole of the magnet assemblies, causing the magnet assemblies directly in front of the writing end of the implement to be attracted toward the display surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,084, issued Dec. 26, 1995 to Itkis, puts forth a magnetic bingo board that has a transparent bingo card, which overlays a magnetic indicator board. The bingo numbers on the card are marked with a magnetic wand that darkens the area of the magnetic indicator board immediately underneath the bingo number. All marks are erased at the start of new bingo game by an eraser magnet sliding inside of the indicator board. The indicator board incorporates a microprocessor that optically tracks all cards being played by reading data marks on the transparent bingo board.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,589,601, issued Mar. 18, 1952 to Burnett, is for a magnetic slate that has a transparent cover and a shallow box, which are sealed tightly against moisture. Located inside the box are small pellets made of magnetic material and overlying the magnetic material pellets is a layer of non-magnetic elements. The magnetic pellets may be raised with a magnetic stylus above the non-magnetic layer to form words. To erase the words or markings, the magnetic slate is held level and shaken, thereby causing the magnetic pellets to fall below the layer of non-magnetic material.
Two U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,982,334 issued Sep. 28, 1976 and 3,938,263 issued Feb. 17, 1976 to Tate, show a device adapted to provide a visual display under the influence of an exterior magnetic field, which comprises a plurality of rotatable, multi-colored, non-magnetically interactive, permanently magnetized micro magnets disposed in a cavity within a body. The body has a transparent surface and a plurality of relatively small compartments within the cavity. The device has a sheet containing micro magnets between the thin cavity of the front and rear surfaces of the sheet where the relatively even dispersion of the micro magnets in the sheet is maintained by such compartments whose barriers minimize displacement so that physical pressure exerted on the sheet, such as by a twist or flex, does not substantially alter the even dispersion of the micro magnets. In an embodiment, the visual display device is a sheet, preferably a substantially transparent or invisible polymer sheet, containing relatively small compartments therein which have cellular and/or structural barriers which prevent substantial displacement therefrom by holding in such compartments rotatable micro-magnets which are surrounded with a suspension or carrier fluid which allows such rotation. In the preferred embodiment the suspension or carrier fluid is thixotropic.
Two U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,101,587 issued Apr. 7, 1992 and 5,125,176 issued Jun. 30, 1992 to Toraby-Payhan, claim a numeral display device having at least one visible face. Each segment of the device has a transparent outer pane and a spaced, parallel inner pane forming a pocket, a first portion of the pocket being aligned with and visible through an opening in the face. A flexible film is received in each pocket. A mechanism is provided to insert and withdraw each film from the first portion of each pocket so that each segment will either contrast with or match the face. In an alternate embodiment the film has a front edge to which is affixed a metal strip so that movement of a magnet exterior to said face will cause said film to be slidably inserted or withdrawn from said first portion of said pocket.
What is needed is a safe magnetically actuated visual display surface which is highly visible and reusable without the need for replaceable writing implements and is relatively inexpensive and usable in any location without the need for electric power or expensive circuitry.